The Shed
by bessie1
Summary: MWPP Post Hogwarts. A short account of what happens when the four try to rent accomdation together, coupled with mentions of the EvansPotter wedding. AU on Peter.


Disclaimer: I don't own, I merely play with Ms Rowlings creations and then return them safely to their boxes.  
  
THE SHED  
  
"Well its not much is it" the slightly bored and unimpressed voice floated from the front door into the apartment, with its owner following close behind  
  
"Is this another one I should cross of the list then" came the somewhat amused response tinged with mild exasperation.  
  
"Contrary to popular belief Sirius is not the ruling majority in this group" came the dry reply from behind them  
  
"No that would be me" the smile in James voice was obvious, even if his friends had their back to him  
  
"Watch it Potter your only here until other matters are sorted" Sirius said his voice coloured with mild amusement  
  
"I really do think Peter has a point though," Remus said as he too walked into the spacious unit and for his part ignored both James and Sirius "for the number of group decisions that Sirius makes, we really would think democracy is dead"  
  
"I would resent that comment Moony if it weren't so accurate" Sirius only shrugged with mild acknowledgement at this critique  
  
"I see you have finally left the long stages of denial then" James said walking up to his old friend and patting his shoulder comfortingly, "I will walk this path of recovery with you my friend" he continued in would be soothing tones.  
  
Before Sirius could articulate an adequate response, which was probably to the benefit all those within the immediate vicinity who wished to preserve their innocence, Peter interrupted, "if the kitchen is anything to go by then its not so bad you know"  
  
James who was inspecting the bedroom at this point voiced his agreement; "the bedrooms at least are clean and have ample living space" then walking back out to the main sections added "even for you Sirius"  
  
"Are you implying that I need space Potter" Sirius said warningly  
  
Of course not" James said innocently "not anymore than a Norwegian Ridgeback anyway"  
  
"Should I ask where all this hostility towards Sirius originates from" said softly musical feminine voice "or just chalk it up to one of the many things I would rather not know about the four of you?"  
  
"The wise person would choose the latter Lil," said Peter who was currently looking outside one of the many windows "hey we can see Diagon Alley from here"  
  
"Well then that's a definite reason why we should rent it" Sirius said sarcastically "let's be closer to Diagon alley after we finish Hogwarts. Makes so much sense Wormtail"  
  
"So popular consensus is agreed on the fact that Sirius does not like the apartment" Remus said with a slight smile  
  
"What's wrong with it Sirius" James said "and don't say you don't like the height! That didn't work the last three times either"  
  
"The air isn't right," Sirius said in an irritated tone "there's just something lacking in it"  
  
"I still don't see what the problem is then, you would fit right in" Peter said as he nimbly dodged out of the way of Sirius' hand  
  
"I think it's a lovely apartment myself," Lily said "with the four of you there is plenty of room and it's in far better a condition then some of the other houses we saw"  
  
"And the views are lovely" Remus said, "not mention it has an extra room that we can ward off for me"  
  
"I like the massive park opposite, that's not bad thing to wake up to" Peter said, somewhat more gently as he saw Sirius still steadfast in his opposition  
  
"I have to admit it won't be so bad being only three minutes from work will it Sirius' James said adding his approval to the list while at the same time trying to appeal to his hard headed and for the most part stupid best friend.  
  
"Well I think that by majority at least we have decided that this is the best for us" Remus said "sure you won't concur Padfoot"  
  
I have already told you Lupin that this shed lacks the correct atmosphere and we would be doing a...."  
  
"Excuse me are you my new neighbours" the new voice cut Sirius off mid rant and all five heads turned towards the open door to see a pretty young brunette standing in the threshold  
  
"No actually we were just deciding that..."  
  
"Shut up moony, don't talk such nonsense" Sirius snapped shoving Remus aside and rapidly clearing the distance between him and the girl. "Yes we are, we have just agreed to rent the place" he smiled his most charming smile at the girl  
  
'We did?" Peter said his voice part the expression of perfect innocence, and part resigned fate.  
  
"Of course we did Peter, your short term memory just needs work that's all" Sirius said "don't listen to him, he positively adores the place already"  
  
The remaining four exchanged mildly amused but still long-suffering looks of understanding, "Fickle isn't he" Lily said finally "what happened to atmosphere problems"  
  
"They were suddenly solved" Remus said, his voice weary but amusement swirling in his grey eyes  
  
"Hey Black, we have your permission to sign on the shed then," James said quickly as he saw Sirius and his newfound interest make moves to leave from the apartment  
  
"Sorry" Sirius turned at the sound of his name, "what shed"  
  
"This one" Remus said with a tinge of exasperation "the one you so lovingly provided a term of endearment for"  
  
"Or should we see the next one on the list Sirius" Lily said pulling out the Daily Prophet from her handbag  
  
"No" Sirius said quickly, "this one is fine, perfect actually, I am really glad I could talk you guys into it." Before the others could find words to comment on this little misrepresentation of the facts he finished with "I must go see what Jess' apartment is like, you know for decorating tips, I will see you at the front door in fifteen minutes". And with these parting words he and the girl disappeared  
  
"I don't think I have ever seen anyone move as fast as Sirius does" Lily remarked  
  
"At least we can get this apartment in good conscious," Peter said. They had been searching for liveable habitation for over a fortnight now and had seen so many apartments that Peter privately though he could no longer distinguish one with another.  
  
"And" James smiled "at least we can rub it in, when he two weeks he asks why we brought this place" a slight but plainly evil glint in his eyes caused both Peter and Remus to roll the eyes towards the heavens.  
  
***  
  
"I still don't believe that you can't flush the toilet while someone is in the shower" Sirius demanded one week into the grand move "who ever heard of water ratios?" Since the clock currently read 7:30 and work for all of them began at eight, the other three sitting around the breakfast table were reluctant to engage in this conversation, it was even within the space of a week growing rapidly old.  
  
Finally though, the irritation gave way to the desire for peace, "Sirius, for heaven's sakes, you are the only person that has a problem with it" James snapped none to kindly  
  
"Yes and you are the only person who has not been either scaled or frozen over the past six days so I really think you have no reason to complain." Peter added irritably as he poured milk over his Cornflakes with one hand and added sugar to his tea with the other. Morning for all of them brought out their extraordinary ability to operate on autopilot.  
  
"Well it still makes no sense to me" Sirius maintained as he poured himself a large mug of coffee. Remus who was sitting next to him had the sense to move the coffee pot out of his reach once he had set it down on the table. Sirius by himself normally was often too much to bear; Sirius on caffeine highs, as his friends had learnt long ago, was intolerable.  
  
"There is lot in the world that doesn't make sense" Peter said sagely as he stirred his tea "that's just life"  
  
"Number one on that list is why we are still friends with you" James said as he absently sorted the mail which the owls had delivered early  
  
"Because you love me," Sirius said in jaunty tones that did not fit with either the time of day nor the conversation that they were presently engaged in.  
  
Remus smiled as he rose from the table "yes Sirius of course that's exactly why we tolerate you, because we love you" he wasn't joking either; love was sometimes the only reason they put up with Sirius.  
  
Before Sirius could comment on this latest tangent, his attention was caught by James who appeared to have lost all colour in his face, "hey James everything okay" Sirius said his voice instantly dropping their playful tones at the sight of his best friend demeanour.  
  
When the question did not receive a reply, the three other Marauders on the table exchanged looks tinged with mild worry, and Peter who was the closest to James gently laid a hand on his shoulder, "Prongs?" he said softly trying to regain James lost attention  
  
The touch appeared to shake James out of the letter and he started visibly,  
"wh...what?" he said looking at Peter as though seeing him for the first time.  
  
Sirius, who had stood up, went round to James side and gently slid the letter out of his friend's grasp. 'Want to tell us what's wrong" he asked "or should we read the letter ourselves?" the question was moot however as Sirius began reading before James could answer.  
  
"She said she set the date" James replied his voice dry; "she has actually set the date, that means..." he couldn't get much further because Sirius and Peter had simultaneously slapped the back of James head – hard.  
  
"OUCH!" James exclaimed, now fully alert and painfully rubbing the back of his head 'what the hell was that for"  
  
"That" Remus said his voice hard "was for making us so worried"  
  
"Yeah you stupid, love struck git" Sirius said "a letter from Lily doesn't not merit the reaction you so lovingly lavished upon it"  
  
"Honestly James, you had us worried for a second" Peter said  
  
"She set a date," James repeated apparently completely oblivious to his friend's reaction and re-reading the letter again. He folded it and kissed the folds.  
  
This time however Peter caught Sirius's hand as it was again raised into the air, "Don't Padfoot" he advised "if we hit him every time he deserves it today, the guy will end with concussion"  
  
***  
  
Peter's words were truer than Sirius would have guessed as it turned out. James was positively floating ten feet in the air when he and Sirius arrived for work that day. He smiled widely at the receptionist as they entered the Department of Magical Law Enforcement and bowing deeply in front of the main desk he offered the somewhat bewildered girl a messy bouquet of daisies. Sirius who had been rendered temporarily dumbstruck by James's behaviour finally got his voice back to sketch out a quick apology to the secretary and drag his friend away.  
  
Unfortunately, as Sirius should have realised that little incident was one of James' better moments. He then preceded to hand a daisy to every girl that walked past, completing the gesture with an over large grin and small bow executed [in James' view at least] to perfection.  
  
Sirius who had long since given up trying to figure out where his friend had found the time to get pick so many flowers without his knowledge, was now merely trying to get them up to their own office without attracting anymore attention than need be. It didn't help that James wanted to shout good morning to every person that they might remotely know the name of and since both men had naturally out going personalities, Sirius came to the quick and extremely painful realisation, that this meant they knew a lot of people.  
  
Finally though Sirius had managed to shove his best friend into a fire, thankfully causing James to lose his remaining collection of flowers on the way. Not that this made the situation all that better. Almost as soon as they had flooed up to their level, James ran into Angela, Sirius Black's version of Lily Evan and currently working on the same auror team as them. No sooner had James seen the very familiar face, he all but raced up to her, and swung her around in his arms, 'Can you believe she set a date Angel!" his voice so loud that people left their cubicles and came to observe. Sirius wondered vaguely where the nearest window was and how much Lily would hurt him if he accidentally pushed James through it.  
  
Angel had known James for the best part of seven years and he was more than simply her best friend's fiancée, hence she smiled tolerantly at him, "no James I didn't but thanks for the news flash" she said  
  
That response brought James back to the ground a bit and lowering Angel, he starred at her 'she didn't tell you" he demanded  
  
"Tell her what" Sirius had decided that James could do no further damage to his image and had ventured out of his office (where he had been privately seeking refuge this past five minutes)  
  
Angel was unable to keep the smile of her face as she saw the look on James face "I'm only kidding James, who do you think helped her go through all those calendars and piles of wedding magazines huh?"  
  
"She went all to that trouble to set a date" James said, coming back to the subject at hand now that he was aware he had not caused any major rifts in his fiancée friendship circle "I cannot help but feel that my part in this is being significantly overlooked" Angel said her tones feigning hurt.  
  
"Hey you're the maid of honour aren't you" Sirius demanded "that's a big role" "So says the best man, at least you have more of an active role in the wedding than me" Angel countered  
  
"How so" Sirius queried, more than a little curious since due to his wizard parentage he was not at all familiar with muggle customs and so had no idea what Angel was alluding to  
  
"Well" Angel said taking great care to ensure that James was listening to her response, "its traditional muggle custom to say that if the groom doesn't come to the alter the bride must marry the best man"  
  
"Hey!" was the simultaneous response to that statement, though James tone was more indignant that the happy voice adopted by Sirius  
  
"Well its true" Angel said, "Oh don't look so put out James, you know well and good that you would not miss this wedding even if you were on your death bed" she looked at him sharply, "besides you will not ever even contemplate hurting Lily like that, therefore you will be there or so help me Potter even death won't spare you!" She let the threat hang in the air, and the look in her eyes remained James eerily of Sirius – no doubt in his mind why those two were dating.  
  
"Geez calm down Angel" James said stepping back, "save that energy for the field" Sirius however came up and hugged Angel tightly, "you're a genius" he said  
  
Both Angel and James looked at him with mild interest at that statement; it wasn't every day that Sirius Black called someone else a genius. Sirius looked at there faces smiled slightly "you snapped him out of his temporary bout of insanity"  
  
"I find it amusing James that out of the pair of you, he is calling you insane" Angel said over her shoulder as she walked back to her office.  
  
James for his part wasn't listening, and when Sirius looked over at him he only sighed, his best friend was kissing the letter again.  
  
***  
  
"He gave flowers to the receptionist" Peter asked as he served pasta into four bowls  
  
"And bowed" Sirius informed them, executing a slight bow of his own at the table for with for greater emphasis, "didn't you buddy" he added as he elbowed James in the ribs James for his part simply sank his head lower in his hands and slumped deeper in his chair.  
  
"You have to admit though" Remus said as he poured wine into four goblets "he does have a reason to be happy"  
  
Sirius though shook his head "Happy yes, psychotic no!"  
  
"And just what did I do today that would lead you to that conclusion Sirius" James had regained his voice in the face of such slander it would seem, as an after though for self-defence he added, "I was good after our conversation with Angel"  
  
"James" Sirius said slowly as though talking to a four year old, "you were only good because every two minutes you would pull out that infernal letter and kiss it!" he pulled a plate pasta over to him and looked for the herbs.  
  
"James" Remus said trying to hide a smile "did you really kiss the letter at work"  
  
James sighed "Just wait till one of you three is engaged, I will be their returning the torture" He too pulled his plate and Goblet towards him as he spoke  
  
"Well regardless of James' mental health, this was supposed to be a celebration dinner" Peter said as he exchanged the parmesan with Sirius for the herbs.  
  
"So it was" Remus smiled "tell me James what is it that were are celebrating again" he took a piece of bread from the basket and passed to the person in question  
  
"That's right Remus, I don't remember why we are celebrating, ole prongs hasn't mentioned it in..."  
  
"... Three seconds" Peter continued "and with us and our short term memories problems"  
  
James shook his head "Tell me again why we are friends" he asked rhetorically  
  
The Marauders however didn't understand that some questions should not be answered "because you love us" all three chimed together  
  
"Cute" James said dryly "how long did you practice for that one"  
  
"Only a couple of days" Peter deadpanned "we are all smart people after all"  
  
"But "Sirius said his voice losing its playful tone "we are here for reason, and I propose a toast" He paused as the other three lifted their goblets "To James, may married life give him all the happiness he deserves and more"  
  
"To James" echoed Peter and Remus as glasses clicked.  
  
James shook his head as he sipped his wine and lifted his goblet again "to friendship" he said "to love which now more than ever is needed to remain strong"  
  
"To Love" it was only a toast, but for a group of boys who had always looked on the light side of life, it was step toward the future and towards the shadows, but years from now when these four boys looked back at the quiet march evening, they would realise that it was that toast which created the light that would meet them at the end of the long dark tunnel. The light which would give them something to fight for. It would be a symbol, at times the only symbol, of the world which they wanted to return to. Of the world which they wanted for their children.  
  
A/N: This is the first story I have posted to FF.Net. I wanted to try a piece which displayed the boys friendship for one another while at the same time showing a lighter side to the post Hogwarts years. Plus I thought it would be fun to explore a situation in which our most favourite foursome had to live together outside of the Hogwarts dorm. Let me know what you think, I want to improve my writing and feedback is the only way I know how. 


End file.
